Diversity In Politics
JENNIFER ZHENG | NOVEMBER 6, 2020 | OPINIONS
In the 2020 election, America saw more gender and racial diversity among the presidential candidates compared to previous elections. Some of the candidates included entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the first Asian-American candidate, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay candidate, and Sen. Kamala Harris, the first Asian-American female candidate. Even though the presidential election began with a wide range of candidates, the two major party nominees are President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joseph Biden. There was so much hope for more leaders to represent America’s diverse communities, but the results make us wonder when American politics and people will include diverse voices that reflect our country.
While initially there was hope for a non-traditional candidate, we remain with two white men running for president and Sen. Kamala Harris being the only female and person of color running for Vice President. As an Asian American with little representation, seeing Sen. Kamala Harris being nominated for vice president makes us feel reassured there is someone representing us.
Since the beginning of American politics, the number of women in politics is significantly lower than that of men. According to the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Congress is 76.3 percent male and 79 percent white. This is not an accurate representation of U.S. society, the gender ratio in politics should reflect the gender ratio of U.S. society in order to fully meet the needs of every individual with different identities.
As a result of gender discrimination, women are less likely to run for office compared to men. In 2017, a study conducted by POLITICO found that half as many women as men are motivated to run for office and the number of women ending in politics is much less. The patriarchal society puts the burden of household responsibilities on women which means they simply do not have time to carry out political campaigns. These socio-cultural obstacles subsequently discourage women from seeking careers in politics, even if they are just as qualified as their male counterparts. Therefore, only 57 percent of women felt qualified to run for office compared to 73 percent of men.
Diversity is important in politics since those of intersectional identities can insert their experience, which can bring more thought into governing. In seeing how the policies of white heterosexual men have affected the communities of African Americans, Asian Americans and Latino Americans, there needs to be individuals who can understand what these communities are experiencing. Every year, thousands of immigrants are arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which separates many children from their parents. They are placed in overcrowded detention centers which lack basic necessities for survival, resulting in the outbreak of infections and the death of some children due to their weak immunity. Apart from this, President Trump and Attorney General William Barr perceive the Black Lives Matter protests as “a symbol of hate” and “violent crime,” and disregard the police brutality experienced by African Americans by sending additional federal agents to stop the protest. Lastly, during this pandemic, President Trump's usage of “kung flu” when describing the coronavirus has inadvertently placed all the blame on the Asian American community and as a result incited xenophobic attacks.
As seen in this election, there was initially some diversity in the candidates but this is not enough diversity to represent citizens from all backgrounds. It has only set the bar for the diverse candidates in the next election.